Hilton in Sri Lanka: Hilton signed six management agreements with Melwa Hotels & Resorts Private Limited to manage three Hilton Hotels & Resorts and three DoubleTree by Hilton properties in Sri Lanka. DoubleTree is making its debut in the country. The six new-build properties, including three resorts, are scheduled to open between 2020 and 2021.
Hard Rock (not) in Macau: Asian casino developer and operator Melco Crown Entertainment is dropping the Hard Rock brand from its City of Dreams casino resort in Macau. The firm said the Hard Rock Hotel at City of Dreams “will be operated under the name ‘The Countdown’ from July 2017 until March 31, 2018″ and would get a new brand after that.
Sorenson payday: Marriott International CEO Arne Sorenson earned US$12.3 million last year, when the Marriott-Starwood deal was closed. It’s a 12% bump from last year; US$6 million of that was stock awards.
Read more in the Washington Business Journal
Kokua in California: San Francisco-based hotel manager Kokua Hospitality added Wine Country Inn and Napa Winery Inn, both in that state’s Napa Valley, to its portfolio.
Development in São Paulo: Cidade Matarazzo, a mixed-use development in São Paulo, Brazil, received a capital infusion of BRL295 million (US$95.2 million) from a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Chow Tai Fook Enterprises and Groupe Allard to complete construction. It includes 274 hotel rooms under the Rosewood brand that will be designed by architect Jean Nouvel and designer Philippe Starck. It’s scheduled to open in July 2019.
Prism to manage in Vegas: Dallas-based manager and investor Prism Hotels & Resorts will manage the rebranded Serene, a Vegas Resort, in Las Vegas. It previously was a boutique hotel called Rumor. Prism intends to update the property’s guestrooms, lobby and public spaces and open a new restaurant.